Though David Harbour had a few known roles before Stranger Things became a cultural phenomenon, the Netflix series propelled him to stardom. The actor largely attributes the series for giving him his earnest start in Hollywood, but readily admits he’s finally ready to move on from the role.
“The first year of ‘Stranger Things,’ I remember having a discussion with a publicist and her saying, ‘Maybe you don’t want to be associated with the show so much,’ and I was like, ‘Why? I love this show. I love the character,’” Harbour said in a pre-strike interview with Insider. “And I do love the show. And I do love the character,” he explained. “But I don’t want to be just that character. I don’t want to be just that guy.”
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Now that he’s landing bigger film roles with each passing month, the actor is ready to leave the land of television behind for something more. On that front, he pictures himself like George Clooney making the leap to cinema from network television.
“I think about George Clooney leaving ‘ER.’ Now we just see him as George Clooney, but there was a time when it was, The guy from ER is doing a movie with Nicole Kidman,’” he added. I’m trying to navigate some of that, and it’s tricky because you don’t want to shit on the people that love you for this thing that you did that you also love. But at the same time, you kind of want to leave the nest. I got more in me. I got different stuff in me, and I want you guys to see that. I don’t want people yelling ‘Hopper’ on the street every five minutes the rest of my life.”
Harbour has been candid about his time on Stranger Things coming to an end, revealing earlier this year he’s ready for the show to release its final season.
“What’s funny is when I started the show, I never ever wanted it to end. That’s why I love the show. I think it’s a great show even if I wasn’t in it,” Harbour told DiscussingFilm in an interview in March. “Now we’re almost nine years from filming the first season, and I think it is time for it to end. But it is, of course, very bittersweet. You know, there’s a sadness there. But also, we’ve all grown up. It is time for us to leave that nest and try other things and different projects. And to let the Duffer Brothers try different things as well. I mean, those guys are so talented. I want to see what they come up with next. So, it is bittersweet, but it’s definitely time.”
Stranger Things 5 is expected to premiere in 2024 on Netflix while Harbour can be seen in Gran Turismo, which races into theaters August 25th.
